What angers us most about Sean Taylors death

[Daseal]

With the age these kids were, I doubt their first instinct was to kill Sean Taylor. They've probably never robbed a house before and weren't expecting to see anyone there. Therefore, they panicked and just shot, without the intention of killing...as they said. I can believe this story, but I don't know about anyone else.

Honestly man, I'm 100% with you. I feel like they were just going to rob the place, didn't know anyone was home. Got scared, shot off two rounds and ran. I mean, if you're trying to kill someone, you don't exactly aim for the leg. I mean, they'll definitely be put in jail for a long time (maybe death, not sure of Florida law) and they deserve it. It was just a bad turn of events, and as I said earlier, if this bullet hits 1 inch another way -- we're talking about ST ready to go next year.

[xkaotikx]

Originally Posted by Daseal

Honestly man, I'm 100% with you. I feel like they were just going to rob the place, didn't know anyone was home. Got scared, shot off two rounds and ran. I mean, if you're trying to kill someone, you don't exactly aim for the leg. I mean, they'll definitely be put in jail for a long time (maybe death, not sure of Florida law) and they deserve it. It was just a bad turn of events, and as I said earlier, if this bullet hits 1 inch another way -- we're talking about ST ready to go next year.

I wish I would know more about the FL law as well. But I honestly think even if the kids would have missed the second time, they wouldn't have continued shooting just to hit him. If you opened a bedroom door and didn't expect anyone to be in there...then when you busted the door open and a guy is standing there with a machete, I'm sure anyone would panic.

[artmonkforhallofamein07]

The thing we all have to remember at times is this, this shit happens everyday. Just not to public figures. Their are many tears shed everyday. Fallen men good and bad. See you on the other side friends.

[firstdown]

I guess different states have different laws using a gun while committing a crime. I think here in Va. it ups the charges and if anyone is killed then it is 1st degree murder. I'm curious to who this 5th suspect is.

[BDBohnzie]

This is what angers me most about Taylor's death:

SI.com - Writers - Peter King: Redskins remember Taylor; Week 13 breakdown - Monday December 3, 2007 10:31AM

A sad part of the story, of course, is a child growing up fatherless, for no good reason. But another sad part, and one that will make good people across the NFL cringe, is that Samuels, a gentlemen among gentleman, will be applying for a permit to own a gun this week.

"I was always scared of guns growing up,'' Samuels said. "But this situation has told me I need one. I'd rather be prepared than to be like Sean was, and not have a gun in his house when he really needed it. I'm going to go through all the proper procedures, get a license, get training for it, and have it in my house, where I lay my head at night.

"I wish a lot of people thought like I did, that violence is bad. But unfortunately that's not the way the world is. Sometimes the world is not a nice place. It's sad I have to get a gun.''

And that's yet another tragedy of Sean Taylor's death.

And while I am neither a member of the NRA nor an anti-gun activist, it saddens me when I read things like this. It's a damn shame that a man cannot feel safe in his own home, that he feels he MUST go out and get protection beyond what is normally necessary.

[SouperMeister]

From a grand scheme standpoint, it angers me that we live in a society that continues to glorify violence and outlandish behavior. I'm not saying that hip hop records or violent movies and video games directly led to this murder, but its this perverted glorification which seems to make it almost alright for young black men to shoot up other young black men. There needs to be a MUCH greater sense of outrage over the carnage that occurs in our cities EVERYDAY. There must be zero tolerance, yet you constantly hear about the "no snitching" code of conduct, which in my mind, condones the violence.

From another standpoint, I feel terrible for little Jackie, having to grow up without her father. It broke my heart to see such a vibrant little girl at the funeral yesterday.

From a selfish standpoint, I hate that we won't get to see Taylor and Landry form the greatest safety tandem in the NFL. They were well on their way. Just imagine how scary they would have been in 2-3 years. We're left to imagine possibilities that will never happen now.

[Bill B]

I am saddened by losing someone who was a hard working, descent caring human being. It would be greedy to say I misss him because our Redskins will suffer, but what happened here is so much larger than football - a father and great person was lost forever.

As far as anger, I wish that those reponsible would just come out and admit what they did instead of trying to play the "I didn't know the other guy had the gun" or "I didn't know we were going to shot someone". Reports from the Washington Post have stated that lawyers for the suspects are already making the case that some of the clients did not know that others were armed and had the intention of possibly shooting someone. Why can't people ever jusy come out and take reponsiblity for their actions instead of fabricating excuses?

Here is an excerpt from the Post article:
Hunte's attorney, Michael F. Hornung, described his client as "very distraught." He said Hunte was lured into driving the others to Taylor's house without any idea of where they were going or that Taylor's house was the target.
"He's very upset. He's scared," Hornung said. "As far as his involvement, it's de minimus."
Wilbur Smith, the attorney for Rivera, declined to confirm reports that his client was the gunman, saying only that "he's in disbelief over what occurred. His expression to me is: 'I can't believe this kind of thing happened, and that I'm in this, and that man is dead.' "
washingtonpost.com

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

I understand your sentiments sandtrapjack. I cannot tell you how upset I get when I read articles on CNN about a sex offender who, while out on parole, kidnapped and killed a young child. Moreover, in Wisconsin for example, two-thirds of all felons who are released from prison are likely to be charged with another felony at some point in their lives. So, I understand why many members of the public want to increase the minimum and maximum sentences, do away with parole, and amend the sentencing guidelines.

However, as others like Lady Brave have so eloquently noted, there are a whole host of problems with making sweeping changes to the justice system to eliminate the problem of recidivist criminal activity. From a practical standpoint, prisons are already overcrowded and prisons cost a LOT of money to build and maintain. If you want to lengthen sentences, be prepared to support increasing taxes. From an ethical standpoint, it's complicated. I've worked in a Federal prison (Oxford FCI) and I've gotten to know a lot of criminals. Not all of them are the dangerous monsters that you think they are; many have been caught in VERY unfortunate situations, hung out with the wrong people, had no supervision or guidance growing up, screwed up, and lived to regret it.

Should we punish all convicted criminals by lengthening their sentences because some of them will re-offend? That's not a rhetorical question; it's a question that doesn't have a satisfactory answer. By lengthening sentences because some may re-offend aren't you handing out punishments that are in excess of what is fair for what they were convicted of? Isn't that judging and punishing every criminal for things that they haven't done? Moreover, if criminals are bound to re-offend, lengthening sentences does not stop crime from taking place, it just delays it (unless you intend to impose life sentences on all criminals).

I don't know what the right answer is. It's an interesting question that doesn't have any simple answers.

[pg86]

What angers me the most..Is how someone took someones dad away...Thats what angers me the most about this..How could anyone be so heartless.